What are the differences between OBJ, PLY, FBX, B3DM, and OSGB? 3D Format Selection Guide
Compare the characteristics, applicable scenarios and delivery considerations of formats such as OBJ, PLY, FBX, GLB, LAS, B3DM, 3D Tiles and OSGB.
There is no absolute good or bad quality in 3D formats. The key lies in the downstream software and usage scenarios. Product web page display, point cloud processing, desktop editing, GIS large scenes and project delivery require different formats. Choosing the wrong format will result in lost materials, missing coordinates, too large files, or inability to open.
OBJ, FBX and GLB: Common formats for mesh models
OBJ has a simple structure and wide compatibility, but materials and textures are usually scattered in multiple files. FBX is suitable for desktop production software and asset exchange including layers and animations. GLB packages models, materials and textures into a single file, which is more suitable for web and mobile display.
PLY vs. LAS: Common formats for point cloud and Gaussian data
PLY can save point, color, normal and mesh information, and is also commonly used for 3D Gaussian Splatting data exchange. LAS/LAZ is a commonly used format for lidar point clouds and is more suitable for retaining professional information such as classification, intensity and coordinates.
B3DM and 3D Tiles: suitable for large-scale Web GIS scenarios
3D Tiles loads large 3D data in layers and chunks, and B3DM is one of its traditional batch model containers. They are suitable for cities, campuses, oblique photography and online scenes that need to be loaded by line of sight.
OSGB: Common delivery format for oblique photography
OSGB is commonly used for hierarchical organization of oblique photographic models and for desktop GIS delivery. The recipient needs to confirm the software version, coordinate system, directory structure and texture paths.
Four things must be confirmed before delivery
Confirm the receiving software, coordinate system, material texture, file size and whether online loading is required. A project can retain production formats, exchange formats, and lightweight presentation formats at the same time, so there is no need to choose just one.